Climbing ice axes

Ice axe

— climbing tool, designed, in accordance with the name, for moving on ice and snow slopes (including for organizing belay and self-belay in such conditions).

A classic modern ice ax has a rather long handle with a sharp “bayonet” at the end and a characteristically shaped head with a serrated “beak” on one side and a flat blade on the other. The handle is usually supplemented with a belt loop for fixing on a hand or an insurance element. Such a tool is used both for cutting and splitting ice, and for organizing insurance — for this, an ice ax can be hammered into ice / snow with a handle.

There are other types of tools similar in design and use — icesbail (with a hammer head instead of a spatula), aistul (“ice tool”, with a curved handle and a slightly different beak design), etc. Such devices can also be referred to as ice axes, although they differ in specific application.